A former motor racing museum which once housed F1 cars driven by Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart could be given a new lease of life.
The world-famous Donington Collection Museum – which was also home to world rally driver Colin McRae’s Subaru Imprez – closed two years ago after new management took over the Donington Park racing circuit.
The circuit museum, on the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border, had displayed more than 130 race cars, collected over the decades by the late Leicestershire builder and motor sport enthusiast Tom Wheatcroft, whose family owns the track.
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In 2017 MSV Group, which also runs Brands Hatch, Snetterton and Oulton Park, bought the rights to run the site.
Lockdown permitting, Donington Park hosts events such as British Superbikes and Touring Car races, motorbike and classic car festivals and the Download rock festival.
Plans have now been drawn up to turn the units previously used by the Donington Collection Museum into a new motorbike workshop and sales complex.
Macclesfield-based Superbike Factory Ltd has designs on the site at the circuit and has lodged the plans with North West Leicestershire District Council.
Documents submitted to planners say: “Since the museum was originally built in the 1970s it has been used for that purpose with the main attraction being the “Grand Prix” collection along with associated exhibits.
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“The building also encompasses a cafe and shop.
“The museum attracted both national and international visitors and was formerly open every day.
“Since 2018 Donington Park has been operated by MSV and during that autumn the museum closed and over a period of 12 months the car collection was disbursed.
“The building has not been used since that time.”
The plans add: “The building was purpose-built as a museum and therefore not suitable for many alternative uses.
“MSV have been seeking new occupiers of the space since 2018 to bring the building back into beneficial use.
“That process has been made harder by the onset of Covid-19 which has had the consequence of further limiting the scope of potential occupiers.
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“The building is ideal for the proposed use as a workshop, storage, MOT Bay and associated sales of motorbikes with the added benefit that no changes are required to the building itself other than signage.”
The company says that, if its plans are approved by the council, up to 30 initial jobs would be created with the potential for further growth.
It adds: “The proposed use is complementary to the overall activities at Donington Park and provides a unique opportunity to test bikes on internal roads and other areas at Donington Park.”
Council officers are assessing the proposal.